H.R.724 - CBO Show Your Work Act (119th Congress)
Summary
H.R.724, the "CBO Show Your Work Act," mandates the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to publicly disclose its fiscal and mathematical models, data, and computational details used in cost analysis and scoring of legislation. This includes making these resources available to Members of Congress and the public via the CBO website. The goal is to enhance transparency and allow for independent replication of CBO's estimates.
The bill amends Section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, requiring the CBO Director to publish models, data updates, and computational details. It also addresses data that cannot be disclosed, requiring the CBO to provide a list of variables, descriptive statistics, and contact information for those with unrestricted access.
The Act's provisions would take effect six months after enactment, ensuring a transition period for the CBO to comply with the new requirements.
Expected Effects
The primary effect of this bill would be increased transparency in the CBO's operations. This would allow external experts and the public to scrutinize the CBO's methodologies and assumptions.
This could lead to more informed debates about the fiscal impact of proposed legislation. It may also increase public trust in the CBO's work if its processes are seen as open and verifiable.
However, it could also create opportunities for politically motivated actors to challenge the CBO's findings, potentially undermining its credibility.
Potential Benefits
- Increased transparency in government operations, fostering public trust.
- Allows for independent verification of CBO's cost estimates, potentially improving accuracy.
- Enables better-informed policy debates based on a clearer understanding of fiscal impacts.
- Provides valuable data and models for researchers and analysts.
- Could lead to improvements in the CBO's methodologies through external scrutiny.
Potential Disadvantages
- Potential for misuse of data and models by politically motivated actors to discredit CBO.
- Increased workload for CBO staff to prepare and publish the required information.
- Risk of misinterpretation or misunderstanding of complex models by the public.
- Possible chilling effect on CBO's analysis if they fear political backlash from transparent data.
- Costs associated with maintaining and updating the public data repository.
Constitutional Alignment
The bill aligns with the principles of government transparency and accountability, which are implicit in the structure of the US Constitution. While the Constitution does not explicitly mandate such transparency for the CBO, the spirit of informing the public and Congress aligns with the broader goals of a representative democracy.
Article I, Section 9, Clause 7, which requires a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money, suggests a constitutional interest in fiscal transparency. This bill extends that principle to the CBO's analytical processes.
Furthermore, the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech could be interpreted to support the public's right to access information relevant to government decision-making.
Impact Assessment: Things You Care About ⓘ
This action has been evaluated across 19 key areas that matter to you. Scores range from 1 (highly disadvantageous) to 5 (highly beneficial).